Florida early voting, absentee ballots down from 2008

The statutory period for early voting in Florida ended on Saturday, and preliminary numbers indicate fewer cast votes early in this year’s election compared to four years ago and under a new schedule.

All together, including both early votes cast and absentee ballots returned, there have been 4.4 million votes cast already.

Voting will still go on Monday around Florida ahead of Tuesday’s Election Day.

Three supervisors of elections have filed suit to be allowed in-person absentee balloting at their offices. It’s allowed in law if individual county elections supervisors have scheduled the time and personnel.

Absentee ballots are still available from some counties, Leon and the three counties that filed suit included, and must be returned by 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Previously mailed absentee ballots are also still returning.

Early voting statewide is down 2 percent from 2008. In that year, county supervisors were allowed to hold early voting for as many as 14 days up to a total 96 hourse. This year, a new law passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature, limited the days of early voting to eight, though the total hours remained unchanged.

In Leon County, early voting actually increased this year compared to 2008, the last presidential election year. There were 45,118 early votes cast in Leon County.

Statewide, however, fewer voted early. This year, there were 2.4 million early votes cast, down 9.4 percent from 2008.

This year, Democrats exceeded Republicans with early voting by 246,930 ballots. The decisive voters who are registered with no party affiliation or with another minor party have cast 439,901 early votes this year.

But that’s only a little more than half the story.

There have been 2 million absentee ballots returned through Saturday. That’s up 8.7 percent from the last presidential election. In the type of voting traditionally dominated by Republicans, Democrats this year have returned 87,318 more absentee ballots than Republicans have.

Heading into Tuesday’s Election Day, 39 percent of all registered voters had already cast ballots. Depending on how high the turnout is, that’s probably about half of all the votes that will be cast to decide Florida’s presidential election.

In-person absentee ballots may be requested on Monday from the Supervisor of Elections Office. Leon’s supervisor will provide those on-demand absentee ballots from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Monday in the Leon County Courthouse rotunda.